Tommy plumber

A typical non-union shop will pay a journeyman $ 20.00/hour. If you can get in the union, you'll earn a little more, around $26.00/hour + benefits. But alot of union guys are on line ahead of you waiting to go back to work.

Or, you might land a job earning a commission. If the shop is busy you will do well. If the shop is slow, well you know what that means.

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Hire a licensed master plumber.

boatcaptplumber

That's not too bad only a bit less then up here in northern ky. Thanks for all the info here.

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"You know we're sitting on four million pounds of fuel, one nuclear weapon and a thing that has 270000 moving parts built by the lowest bidder."

Tim`s Plumbing

Union rate in western Mass is $ 54.76 right now. The area of Mass I live in the cost of living is about the same as Sarasota the only differance is no state income taxes.

boatcaptplumber

Wow! Here its only 29.70 so I can see how that's a hell of a paycut!

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"You know we're sitting on four million pounds of fuel, one nuclear weapon and a thing that has 270000 moving parts built by the lowest bidder."

Richard Hilliard

Your last sentence speaks volumes. Plumbers or so called plumbers are a dime a dozen in Florida. Most of the service plumbers are not FULL service plumbers and lack the ability to work on well pumps, lift stations, and have no idea how water conditioning works. Many are monkey see monkey do and do not realize the difference between a 30 amp breaker and 20 amp breaker for a water heater. I interviewed a plumber from out of state last week that had no idea what a seat wrench tool was. Lack of plumbing skills and knowledge is a big problem. The bad thing with apprenticeship programs is they teach code and new construction only and do very little service is taught if any.

By the way a really good service plumber can make 25 bucks and hour and if they have skills in sales will blow away what most owners make in a year. This is not a knock on owners just shock at how little business men value their skills and risks and the long assed hours they must put in to run a business .

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Effective communication, meeting and exceeding expectations, understanding client’s needs and wants, listening and hearing the real intent of client’s words and discovering the client’s perceived value will always win over the client to use you.

ROCKSTARPLUMBER

I got my journeymen card in 2007 here in Tallahassee. I did it just to do it, no real reason for it. I guess I thought it would squeeze an extra dollar out of the bossman, but it did not. They could care less about that card. One year later to the month I passed the masters exam. The journeyman card means nothing here. If you had it, i would not depend on it to tell me what kind of "plumber" you are, or how good you may be.

The cost of labor got brought up somewhere on this thread. I can say that my last year working for M&L, I grossed 63K, at 23 an hr. Lots of overtime and weekend work to get the bills paid. After hour calls as well. That is for sure top pay in this town. If I were to close the doors and go work for someone now, i would be lucky to get 20 the way things are.

As far as the test goes, I was the first finished, and it was a breeze. I would say that if you have been plumbing at least 3 years minimum, and you fail that test, it would be time to find another trade. I registered at the growth managment office here but im sure that has changed by now.

Go for your masters if you want something more. Just dont start a business here in Tally. There are enough idiots here leaving tons of money on the table.

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boatcaptplumber

One thing i have noticed when we go to Florida is the amount of plumbing vehicles you see on the road, we usually go to Sarasota and or Tampa. Same area my family is looking to move too. Im sure for someone such as myself there are things to learn in that area. The basics are always there, such as being able to identify a seat removal tool and doing ohms law to understand why the 4500 watt water heater keeps tripping on a 20 amp breaker. Seems like the really big things nowadays that make plumbers stand out are knowing the ins and outs of like you said lift stations, well pumps tankless water heater diagnostics and simply showing the hell up when you say you are. As far as im concerned these are all simple things to accomplish.

Tommy plumber

When I applied at a company, I was never asked if I had a journeyman's card. It's a good thing to get. It shows a little ambition and initiative on your part, but by and large, it is not needed or even encouraged.

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Hire a licensed master plumber.

OldSchool

I was always wondering where all the hacks came from


I can see now they all came from Florida

Sent from my portable office....yes I am at work

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Quote:

Originally Posted by U666A My bad mood will fade, your ignorance will last a lifetime...

Qball415

Funny cuz they bash the Cali boys. Hahaha.